(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a golf game practicing apparatus, and more particularly it pertains to a golf game apparatus including a simulating device for simulating, on a display screen, the trajectory and the position of a ball struck on a putting green.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
As a golf game practicing machine, especially as an indoor golf game practicing machine, there is known, for example, the Indoor Golf Game Apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho. 47-256 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,469,905, 3,501,152 and 3,513,707). This known apparatus is a sort of simulating device, which is arranged so that, as the golf player strikes a ball (either iron shot or wood shot) toward a golf course which is depicted on a screen by a slide projector, the velocity vector of the ball thus struck is detected, and that on the basis of the result of the detection, the distance of the flight of the ball is computed, and that in accordance with the result of this computation, the scene of the terrain of the golf course which is depicted on the screen changes to a scene closer to the green in accordance with the advancement of the ball, and that this pattern on the indication of the scene of the terrain changes successively as the ball is advanced in succession. In this known apparatus, however, putting of the ball no longer requires the assistance by this apparatus, but rather it is performed by actually putting the ball on a putting mat which may be either flat or curved surface provided on a part of the apparatus, based on the interpretation that the imaginary ball has advanced successfuly onto the green.
On the other hand, as a putting practicing machine, there have been made various proposals, including Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho 49-4490 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 3,658,343) which provides for a practicing terrain of green having a curved surface which can be changed from one curved pattern to another as required, or Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Sho 51-15575 which proposes a golf practicing machine having an automatic ball feeding means, means for indicating the number of shots and means for indicating the number of hole-outs, and Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Sho 51-36604 which teaches the arrangement for indicating the scores in accordance with each position assumed by the ball struck toward the target. In each of these prior art practicing machines, putting is performed under the condition considerably different from the putting done on an actual green, i.e. on these known practicing machines, the firmness of the turf is set as being constant, and the directions of the leaves of the turf are set to be constant, and also the surface configuration of the green is ordinarily set as being constant, and moreover there are other problems such that these known practicing machines require a large space or area and that it is hardly possible to practice long putts for a distance such as 10 meters.